Snow People

During a blizzard, it’s been pretty rad getting realtime temp and snow level updates online and via Twitter from others in the Charlottesville community.  I’ve been following @cbs19weather and @nbc29 for the latest during the storm, and after the fact to hear about road conditions and more.

My husband’s been out and about every day in his 4×4 truck, but I’ve been at home with Calvin.

We’ve ventured outside to build a snow boy. (Calvin was particular about the name).

And today, we went on a walk around the block today to see the neighbor’s chickens.

Along the way, we helped an elderly lady who’d stumbled in the snow while trying to shovel her sidewalk (and avoid the ticket the city threatens to give starting tomorrow).  We also found a very large UPS truck that couldn’t quite make the turn in the snow…since the city hasn’t been able to plow all the secondary streets (yet, they’re going to fine city residents who don’t shovel their walks…makes perfect sense).

Side note: 30 minutes later, the UPS truck was still stuck…even with 2 employees shoveling around the tires and 6 other neighbors pushing…Steve “towed” them out and pulled them downhill.

A recent tweet from @nbc29:

There is a hidden benefit to a snow storm like what Charlottesville experienced this past weekend: it has kept crime down. http://ow.ly/OIoW

That’s pretty awesome.  Even more awesome is seeing this place act more like a community when everyone’s going through a similar hardship.

• Folks with power and running water offered to house friends who were without
• Over 1000 people with 4 wheel drive volunteered to shuttle hospital personnel to work, family members to care for their parents in nursing homes, and help stranded motorists
• Neighbors shared snow shovels, and some even shoveled snow for their neighbors
• Neighbors shared food with one another

This place started to feel like Christmas a little early…not because of the hustle and bustle with shopping, pretty sparkly lights, or guys dressed in red suits with white beards…but because people in this town cared for one another when there was a freakish snow storm that made this place feel like it was a little less modern and convenient.

Neighbors acted a little more neighborly.

Although nature’s storms bring lots of havoc and residual problems, I do like that time and time again, they usually cause communities to knit together a little tighter as we pick up the pieces after the fact.

May your home be warm, and your loved ones be by your side this Christmas…that’s all that really matters, anyway.

Merry Christmas!

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